Guilt and shame

Everyone experiences feelings of guilt. A wrong comment, a missed appointment – and the thoughts follow automatically: “I shouldn’t have done that. It’s my fault.” For many clients, these are not temporary feelings, but persistent patterns. Guilt and shame can lead to avoidance, self-neglect, and a deep sense of failure.

In therapy, these themes show up in different ways:

• Clients don’t dare talk about their parents, even though the past plays a big role.
• They feel guilty when the therapist confronts them on their behalf in an imagination exercise.
• Or they sabotage their own recovery because they feel they “don’t deserve to get better.”

Therapists can also be affected by this: feelings of guilt can prevent them from confronting clients empathically, out of fear of making the client’s suffering worse.

In this workshop, we will explore the different faces of guilt and shame together. You will learn how to conceptualize these feelings within schema therapy and how to approach them using powerful techniques.

A workshop day in which theory, technique, and compassion come together with the goal of creating space for recovery and self-esteem.

• Introduction to the concepts of guilt and shame
• Conceptualization of guilt in terms of schemas and modes
• Imagery rescripting for deontological guilt
• Chairwork for altruistic guilt

After completing this workshop:

• You will have a deeper understanding of different forms of guilt (such as deontological vs. altruistic);
• You will be able to translate feelings and thoughts of guilt into relevant schemas and modes;
• You will know which techniques within schema therapy can be used for guilt issues;
• You will have practiced specific methods such as imagination and chair work for feelings of guilt;
• And you will have enjoyed an educational and inspiring day that will boost your confidence in working with these sensitive themes.

This workshop is intended for schema therapists who want to deepen their theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the areas of guilt, shame, and case conceptualization.

Participation requires an accredited basic course in schema therapy of at least 25 hours.

• VSt – Vereniging voor Schematherapie
• ISST-International Society for Schema Therapy

A list of recent relevant scientific articles will be made available prior to the workshop.

Preparation for this workshop day: maximum 4 hours (reading literature, selecting and preparing case material)

During the workshop day, participants will receive continuous feedback on their participation in practical exercises. The instructor will provide feedback both individually and in groups. Attention will be paid to:

• Substantive application of the techniques
• Maintaining the therapeutic relationship
• Integration of theory into practice